3 names emerging as surefire options for Royals bullpen in 2027, 1 they need to leave in 2026

The Kansas City Royals still have plenty of future needs to address ahead of the 2027 season, and figuring out the bullpen holdovers seems to be a primary focus for this front office. Churning through arms is normal for bullpens, but the Royals have acquired or moved on from several relievers recently, with Hall of Fame hopeful Craig Kimbrel being the latest addition.

The Royals have suffered many injuries to the relief corps this season, primarily to their expected lynchpins. Add on the underperformance of Lucas Erceg and the now released Matt Strahm, and the Royals bullpen is one of the league's worst in several aspects. As the season evolves into post-trade-deadline evaluation mode, each reliever should have a question mark on them: are they a stopgap for innings or a potential future roster member in 2027?

There are still more than 40 games to play, and each game could be a player's first or last with the Royals. Right now, here is where these five relievers stand regarding their prospects of helping Kansas City in 2027.

Keep around: RHP Nate Pearson

The Pearson project is far from complete, but the Royals have the room right now to let this play out in the bullpen. Kansas City picked up the former first-round pick from the Houston Astros in July after a well-traveled career defined by the same issues. The pure pitch shapes were among the league's most tantalizing, but Pearson's command was nonexistent, leading to free bases and too many mistakes over the middle. The Royals have not definitively solved his problems, but progress is seemingly being made.

The Pearson project is far from complete, but the Royals have the room right now to let this play out in the bullpen. Kansas City picked up the former first-round pick from the Houston Astros in July after a well-traveled career defined by the same issues. The pure pitch shapes were among the league's most tantalizing, but Pearson's command was nonexistent, leading to free bases and too many mistakes over the middle. The Royals have not definitively solved his problems, but progress is seemingly being made.

Leave behind: RHP Craig Kimbrel

There is a reason the future Hall of Famer has played for nine different franchises over the past six seasons. The 38-year-old reliever joined the Royals roster ahead of their West Coast road trip, his third team this season alone. The 440 career saves put Kimbrel in an elite echelon of MLB history, along with the spread-arms pose that is either mocked or beloved by fans. But Kimbrel has not been that pitcher in a while, and his track record suggests he will not be back in Kansas City no matter how he performs.

It was shocking to see Kimbrel has not notched an MLB win or save since 2024, considering his lasting name recognition. Kimbrel used to dominate with a simple four-seam and curveball combination, but the fastball has lost plenty of zip over the past decade and thus its effectiveness. It still has plenty of movement, but not enough to deceive batters consistently or set up the curveball. Father Time has gotten to Kimbrel, and the Royals uniform could be among the last he wears in MLB.

Keep around: RHP Steven Cruz

Cruz is not auditioning for the 2027 bullpen. Him being in Arizona next February seems like a foregone conclusion. But the towering Dominican is auditioning for a greater role with the Royals, possibly as the club's closer to end this 2026 season. After years of being the man good enough to pitch in the bigs but pushed down to start the season in Triple-A Omaha, Cruz's value is understated as he rebounds from a rough start to the year.

His overall season numbers are still largely skewed, but since becoming an everyday MLB reliever, Cruz has a 2.84 ERA while striking out 27.6% of the batters he faces. His 4.38 FIP since May 9 shows there are some flaws, mainly Cruz's penchant for surrendering home runs, but the arsenal is potent enough to get three outs. Cruz is averaging 98.4 mph on his four-seamer this season, ranking in the league's 96th percentile. Factor in that Cruz dropped his arm angle slightly from the past two seasons, and he should be the favorite to see even more high-leverage outings in Kansas City.

Keep around: RHP Mason Black

If we were applying the same logic from Morgan to Black, then the latter should be off the roster as well. But the reality is Black could provide the rotational help Kansas City so desperately needs. The former San Francisco Giants hurler was trending toward more of a swingman role, but Kansas City already needs starters for 2027. He is an unexciting choice that should be a stopgap at best, but Black can help the Royals get by until they hopefully do not need to get by anymore.

Black was struggling in his longest stretch with the Royals, thanks to an ugly combination of too many walks and an inability to command his arsenal consistently. His most recent box score did show marginal promise, allowing two earned runs in five innings out of the bullpen against the Chicago Cubs after Daniel Lynch IV's struggles. Granted, it came with some lucky contact and more walks than strikeouts, but the Royals needed outs and Black recorded 15 of them. With nearly an entire rotation already set to start the season on the IL, Black can at least begin the year in Kansas City and see where the season takes him.

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